kestrel1121

FYI... to all you student NA's out there who actually wish to have some input on the doctoral debate requirement..our student research project foe 2005 is a survey of all student nurse anesthetists with registered email addresses with AANA... the topic is student perspectives on the DNP and should the AANA support it..all students will be polled..so if you want your voice to be heard by the AANA look for this survey in your email around late this summer or early Fall!!! you also might want to make sure the AANA has your current email address! We have a direct line of communication with the AANA task force on the DNP and results will be reported directly to this task force--believe it or not they are excited to have some student input in the process--especially since the AACN has NO student input on requiring the DNP as entry into practice... keep your ears to the ground--this is a hot topic that will not be soon going away AND.. a big thanks in advance to all you students who support other students' research!!!!

wow, he's got a problem already and you're working on your bsn?? imagine what a problem he's gonna have when you start crna school (msn) and you're spending 10-16hrs a day in either class, preparation, study or clinical time!!! from reviewing this forum i have heard how difficult it is on the so to deal with the amount and degree of time/concentration/effort it takes to survive crna school. review the forum and look for the threads posted from so's and others about what it is like. print them out and have him read them. give him time to digest the info and think about all it involves. anesthesia school has been notorious for the cause of many divorces. i am in a program now and am finding it hard just to deal with having a dog (large) in an apartment (alone) with no one else to be able to walk/potty her while i'm in clinicals (involves being up and gone by 0530 and not back home until after 4p then have to study)-i have resorted to spending the $$ for doggie day care (which she loves!). i cannot imagine how much harder it is for classmates with kids and the huge stress it places on your so. i'm sure he is thinking along the lines of you were supposed to be helping him raise these kids and feels you're not putting in what he feels is your fair share. if he's supporting you, too, it may make him feel he's doing all the work! if you truly want to be a crna, you must sit him down and have a deep heart to heart talk about your dreams, his dreams and your dreams together and if you are both willing to stick it out thru the difficulties of school. believe me, i think it is totally worth all the pain and suffering!!! if he can't accept the hardships then your relationship may not survive. it would be better to go through separation sooner (for you, him and the kids) rather than after you begin anesthesia school! tough decisions ahead, best of luck!!!

West Coast really limits your choices especially if financing is a concern. I applied and was accepted to Sam Merritt in Oakland, Ca and Gonzaga in Spokane Wa. Cost of living was something that absolutely played into my decision to go to Gonzaga. You also need to consider the housing market etc if $$ is a problem-the lower cost school may be in an area you can't afford to live in. Currently, the tuition at Gonzaga is running $490/credit hour for something like 64 credits for the program= around $33K ish. Of course, you should look into financial aid for student loans. The cost of renting a place in Oakland priced me out of the California market and into Spokane. Also, consider how far you must go to clinical sites and the price of gas lately. It takes me max of 15min to get to the hospital. In Ca, some clinical sites can be hours away! Good luck in your decision!

a lot of prior health problems revolved around 'open' systems, where the gases were being rebreathed by everyone in the OR. Modern anesthesia machines use a scavenging system that all but eliminates this problem. I don't think health problems from gas exposure is a current issue.

Ok everyone just needs to chill!! Kevin, I totally get your point, having started my program, the enormity of the amount and information and the huge responsibility plus the mental shift from the RN who call's the doc w/the problem to the one who has to take the call now (all you folks who casually said, 'call anesthesia' when you had the impending resp failure and now you're gonna be the 'anesthesia' part dealing with the MP 4, morbid obese, rotten teeth, receding chin, w/unstable C-6 fx pt they want you to just come on in and tube 'em already, can appreciate this!!) sunk in pretty fast. Using CRNA in your screen name, however innocent, implies you are something you are not (especially to newbies to the board who don't know anything about you yet). Incorrect assumptions can easily be made. Also, when I pass boards and finally get to use the title, I don't think I would want anyone to 'belittle' the hard work and sacrifice the achievement really represents. If you don't think it is really about that, think about how you would feel if there was a 1st semester nursing student who doesn't even know how to give a bedbath using RN as a title anywhere (even a screen name)-how pissed would you be? you'd be thinking "Who does she think she is!!!???!!!" That said, a lot of people use screen names as 'wishful or hopeful' thinking titles never purposefully meaning to deceive. However, it is something to reign in now, especially in a professional forum, when the internet is becoming increasing the source lay people turn to for medical information. Traumacrna sounds totally swamped, and it really is hard to deal with this when you're in school and working, too. the PIA of changing screen names ( and letting those you on your email list know you changed it) would likely get very low priority on a student's list of stuff to get done. Give him a chance, sometimes you just need time to put yourself in other's shoes and process the issue. NOTE to all CRNA wannabe's or students, show respect and use SRNA in your screen name, it truly will be appreciated, by CRNAs now and you as earn the title in the future. Peace and remember, relaxing is a GOOD thing for your soul.

What is Typhon??? We are starting clinical this month & I wanted to be able to keep track of my cases-this sounds like a program that does it maybe?? How much does it cost??

Hey Lou!! Just wanted to let you know you are not alone. Today was my first day in the OR-got there at 0615 like was told.Here's my day: My CRNA didn't get there til 6:50 (by now I'd had plenty of time standing around psyching myself out bigtime!!!) got to the room-no machine check done since running late.(we have not covered this yet so I don't know how to do it yet) next no O2 sat probe cord-sent me to find a tech and get one (couldn't find tech-looked in workroom in box labeled sat probes-nothing-back to room emptyhanded ) he had drawn up all the meds by then. off the preop to get pt (now feeling flustered). back to OR room. CRNA & MDA prep pt-I stand in back holding Mac w/#3 ready (all I can hear now is my heartbeat and blood pounding in my ears) they push all drugs including paralytic-bag once or twice to see if can ventilate the step out of way and I go to head of bed (-remember pt has already gotten rocuronium so feel must jump on it-they lower the bed to my HIP height-pt head is at my belly button- so now I'm bending over)-get blade in mouth can't see anything-they tell me to pull back-do and now see epiglottis and lift-think see cords-not sure, sats dropping to 88%-CRNA takes scope and lifts-see cords great and get tube in but sats now 85% !!! bag back up quickly to 95%-my legs are shaking!!! self critique: 1)pysched myself out to start with 2) bed to low-I'm looking straight down in mouth not at an angle 3) blade in too far to start plus first time so not sure what REAL cords look like! 4) now just annoyed at myself! how can you possibly miss a MP 2, view of cords grade 1 and pt with no teeth will carryon and hopefully learn from my mistakes for next time!! How are you doing with the Miller ( I thought it was a little easier on the dummy w/Miller so maybe I'll try it next time) kestrel

Thanks for the input, it really helped me calm down! Yesterday we did practice again and it went much smoother but I found I tended to 'rest' my forearm on the mannequin's head. It took less muscle and was actually able to see the airway without straining! Next, we did LMAs-any tips for folks with small hands and short fingers-I'm wondering if I will be able to push it back far enough for a good seal-does it matter if I use my middle finger instead of index?

Hi all, It's been a while since I posted (adjusted to the shock of starting classes 3 months ago and all the studying/tests etc). We practiced intubating the mannequin yesterday. I had a really hard time lifting the mandible with the MAC blade (miller seemed to work a little better) but with both felt like my arm was straining. I purposefully made sure I wasn't using the wrist bending action and was lifting up and away but still felt like my arm was going to fall off! I also did not use the 'chicken arm' move but kept my elbow close to my side. My 2 other female classmates said their arms were straining as well. My instructor said it doesn't require muscle we just need to work on our technique (some of the guys were straining also). I'm really worried that I won't be strong enough to intubate. I know they say it's technique, so how long does it take to acquire technique!! We start intubating in the OR next week!!! Any tips (I'm really hoping it's was just hard on the mannequin because it is so stiff and on patients their jaws will be a little more flexible!). HELP!!

Don't know too much about the hospitals in Olympia and south-try searching the CRNA job postings on the net and see if any areas match Oly or not. some will tell you the city and some will just tell you the general area. I'm sure the demand may be a little higher because you're farther away from 'the big city' :chuckle of Seattle. Smaller hospitals also tend to go for CRNA staff due to budgets etc. You can also find out which anesthesia groups service the hospitals (call the hospital or check the phone book under physician services) there and call them and see if they have CRNA spots available. Hope this helps.

I lived in Tacoma for 7 years. Finished nursing school there and went straight into critical care, also did agency work in other area hospitals. Very rarely saw a CRNA in Tacoma area but plenty in outlying hospitals. I think the Sea-Tac area is very dominated by MDA's due to UDub's medical school. There is definitely work for CRNA's-you would probably be better off looking into the hospitals that aren't downtown Seattle/Tacoma. Try researching in areas like Kent, Puyallup, Redmond, Renton etc- these are all in the Sea-Tac metro area but you would have the advantage of not fighting the icky downtown traffic situation (although most areas have traffic concerns there!) and some are not in King County which has the highest cost of living. Keep looking, there is a need for CRNA's in the northwest!!

I start class in January and know that my school requires one of these from their handbook-I don't know exactly what it's for(other than I'm assuming amplification of breath sounds???) and am sure I have to pay for getting one so can anyone give me an idea of how much they cost for budget planning??? Thanks folks!

Thanks folks! It's good to know I'm not the first the first to be worried about converting to 'peds' care!!! Also thanks for the advice on preferential handbooks/references. I know a lot of us newbies are looking for supplements to the required texts-any help we can get!!

Which Peds reference do you use?? I am looking for references since have not taken care of peds before and am stressed about it (all prior experience is w/adults). Is this easy to overcome??

I know this is a sensitive topic to all. My question refers to how would all of you handle this situation that actually occurred in a pt's room preop. I am most interested in how NOT to overreact but to correct the impression left on the pt and family by the MD. What happened: Pt being prepped somewhat 'emergently electively'. Pt and family present. OR crew, CRNA providing anesthesia for pt and MDA in room all together reviewing procedure, prepping to roll to OR. pt daughter (distressed and acting inappropriate by flirting with all males present in room) at one point made the mistake of referring to the CRNA as 'Doctor'. CRNA politely corrected pt daughter by giving a short explanation of his role/title to daughter.I dont remember exactly what he said but it was basically 'I'm a nurse anesthetist and I'll be giving your dad the anesthesia to get him to sleep for surgery'. SHortly later, daughter again referred to CRNA as 'doctor' (she was most likely not processing any info given due to the stress). Here the MD stepped in and corrected the daughter by stating (direct quote) Oh, he is not the doctor, he is just one of our support staff. The CRNA did not say anything about this. I was a lot annoyed and began wondering if the CRNA is 'support staff' how does she (the MDA) view nurses etc she works with??How would all of you have responded to assert your role and also not ruffle the MD's feathers?? Not trying to be inflammatory just want diplomatic responses!